Why Was Rob Gronkowski In WWE Photo On Twitter?

BOSTON (CBS) -- Rob Gronkowski retired from the NFL on Sunday. The next night, the WWE just so happened to be in Boston for Monday Night Raw. Many expected Gronk to make a triumphant appearance. He didn't show.

But a day later, there Gronk was, standing tall in a photo shared by an official WWE community Twitter account at an event celebrating the USO of the Metro D.C. area.

Also in the picture were comedian Jon Stewart (who's participated in WWE events in the past), NFL Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw, and a number of WWE stars. But it's Gronkowski's presence that generated the most buzz.

The 29-year-old's future remains wide open but very much undetermined, as a world of possibilities await him in the world of television, movies, sports and entertainment. Considering the WWE often offers all four avenues to people like Gronkowski, and considering Gronkowski has participated in Wrestlemania in the past, he seems to be a natural fit to work with the company.

Mojo Rawley of the WWE -- a friend of Gronk's -- told TMZ this week that he anticipates Gronkowski will be appearing in the ring at some point.

"That wouldn't shock me one bit," Rawley told TMZ. "I mean he's always been a wrestling fan, I know Wrestlemania, he was all excited about it. We still joke around about it, we're all still really proud of that moment. So yeah, man, in the future I'm sure at some point you'll see him inside a WWE ring in some capacity."

Rowley added: "I'm absolutely positive [WWE] would be pretty receptive to that. I mean, a guy that can move the way he can that has his size and just his overall demeanor and charisma, yeah, that's kind of what we recruit around [here]. That's exactly what we're looking for here. So, I'm sure they'd be on board with it, and like you said, there's been a lot of superstars from other walks of life that have come here and been successful. That's kind of the beauty of WWE, is everyone's got their own story, they all have their own path of getting here, and it's just a very diverse and unique locker room. So he'd be a perfect fit. Absolutely."

Rowley also expressed some genuine excitement at the prospect of Gronkowski removing the "handcuffs" that came with being in the NFL and specifically being on the Patriots.

"If you thought Gronk was wild before, I'm telling you, I'm TELLING you, wait till you see him without the shackles on, because it's a whole 'nother beast," Rowley said. "I'm actually pretty excited about this."

For those keeping track ... Wrestlemania 35 will take place on April 7 at MetLife Stadium. Gronkowski's familiar with the building ... he's familiar with the event ... and he's apparently popping in to community events for the WWE. At the very least, for those interested in Gronkowski's future, an event like that might be worth monitoring.

UPDATE: The Washington Post reported that Gronkowski was in attendance for the event because he was accepting the Merit Award from the USO-Metro. Bradshaw was the emcee of the event.

In:
• WWE
• NFL
• Rob Gronkowski
• New England Patriots